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Musical Information

  Img Type O Negativejpg
  Img Capt Type O Negative performing at Columbiahalle in Berlin , Germany
  Background group_or_band
  Origin Brooklyn , New York , USA
  Genre Heavy Metal <br> Gothic-doom Metal
  Years Active 1990–present
  Label Roadrunner Records , SPV America
  Associated Acts Carnivore <br> Danzig <br> Seventh Void <br> Fallout
  URL Official Site
  Current Members Peter Steele <br/> Josh Silver <br/> Kenny Hickey <br/> Johnny Kelly
  Past Members Sal Abruscato


Type O Negative is a band from Brooklyn , New York City . They are notable as one of the earliest successes in the Goth / Doom Metal style, complete with distorted guitars, frequent keyboard use, and the low, operatic vocals of Peter Steele . In addition, however, the band has always balanced a variety of non-goth influences, such as The Beatles (sometimes referring to themselves in jest as "The Drab Four"). Despite a dramatic lyrical emphasis on themes of Sex , Romance , Depression , and Death , Type O is also known for an irreverent and self-deprecating sense of humor. Their popularity grew in 1993 with the album '' Bloody Kisses '', which featured the provocative hits "Christian Woman" and "Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)". Their most recent album is 2007's '' Dead Again ''.


ORIGINS

Type O Negative’s origins spawn from a band called Fallout , formed in the early eighties by then teenager Peter Steele . He was joined by fellow teen and Brooklyn native, Josh Silver . The band released one EP in 1981, titled ''Batteries Not Included''. It enjoyed modest success on college radio. Shortly thereafter, Silver left Fallout to form Original Sin, which sounded like most eighties hair metal bands at the time, with a new wave twist. Meanwhile, Steele went on to found the thrash metal band, Carnivore . Carnivore spent much of the mid-eighties terrorizing concert-goers at various venues in and around the East Coast, including the now defunct CBGB s on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and the now defunct L’amours in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The band’s lyrics were harsh and very politically incorrect, dealing with race, religion, war, and misogyny. The band's sound included elements of Speed Metal mixed in with Hardcore break-downs and a three-chord Punk Rock sensibility.

Following the release of their second album, ''Retaliation'', Carnivore went on hiatus, as Steele decided to pursue the more stable and lucrative career of working for the New York City Department Of Parks And Recreation . In 1989, after two years of looking after hedges in Prospect Park , he was forced out of retirement by long time friend, Sal Abruscato , Type O Negative’s original drummer. Soon after, Silver was convinced to join with fellow childhood friend, Kenny Hickey , following suit. They originally named themselves "Sub-Zero", but soon discovered this name was already taken. After an extensive search through the Yellow Pages for potential band names, they all agreed upon Type O Negative to best describe their sound. The band released a demo which caught the ear of record executives at Roadrunner Records - the premiere American label for metal and hard rock in the late eighties and early nineties. Roadrunner signed them to a five album record deal, and in 1991, the band quickly recorded and released their debut, '' Slow Deep And Hard ''. Type O Negative has since gained an enormous underground following, having released seven studio albums, as well as two best-of compilations and concert DVD s.


ALBUM HISTORY

Type O's first album, '' (they later made light of the situation on a future album with a song titled "We Hate Everyone").

Back in the States, anyway.

'', the band's most acclaimed album.]] Their true second album, '' Bloody Kisses '', was released in 1993 to critical and listener acclaim, and eventually became the first record for Roadrunner to reach certified Platinum status in the US. The band had made huge strides in the progression of their musical style; The Beatles proved to be an accurate reference point, as they incorporated the psychedelic mysticism and melodies of the legendary sixties rockers mid-period work, with particular emphasis on their '' Rubber Soul '' and '' Sgt. Pepper ''’s catalog, along with a growing influence from The Sisters Of Mercy .

''Bloody Kisses'' mostly addressed loneliness and heartbreak, with songs like “Too Late: Frozen”, “Blood & Fire”, and “Cant Lose You”. The organ-driven “Set me on Fire” is vintage Sixties Garage Rock , while "Summer Breeze" covered the 1972 Seals And Crofts hit. “Christian Woman” and “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)” became the most popular tracks, after having been edited down to radio-friendly lengths (the album versions were 8½ and 11 minutes long). In order to promote the album, Type O Negative embarked on a grueling two-year world tour. The unexpected success of ''Bloody Kisses'' proved the diligence and sacrifice the band had put in for three years was beginning to pay off. Features on MTV , VH1 , and Rolling Stone followed. In the midst of this media blitz, drummer Sal Abruscato quit the band to join another Brooklyn quartet, Life Of Agony . Johnny Kelly , the band’s drum technician, was therefore hired as a full-fledged member. ''Bloody Kisses'' was re-released a year after the original release in a limited-edition Digipak form, including eight of the musical tracks from the original (omitting the "filler" tracks) and the previously unreleased "Suspended In Dusk."

The unexpected success of ''Bloody Kisses'' brought on the pressure of recording a worthy successor. The record label, suddenly capitalizing on the revenue being generated by Type O Negative, began pressuring Steele and company to write even more commercial-friendly songs. The band instead tried to strike a balance between the commercial and the creative, and the result was 1996's '' October Rust ''. Picking up where ''Bloody Kisses'' left off, this album continued to explore themes of sex and sensuality, explored in a humorous sense on the single "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend" and then taken much darker with "Love You To Death". This record also saw a cover of Neil Young 's "Cinnamon Girl", and a fan following surrounded the semi-serene "Green Man" as years passed on. While not quite as successful as ''Bloody Kisses'', the album was certified Gold in the US, and was the first Type O Negative album to enter the top half of the Billboard Top 200 , debuting at No.42.

With the completion of another successful world tour, writing for a fourth album began. In the period immediately following the release of ''October Rust'', Steele experienced several deaths in his immediate family, and he began drinking heavily to mask the bereavement and pain. This epoch of self-loathing would eventually manifest itself in the next album, 1999's '' World Coming Down ''. The vibe of the album was a significant change from ''October Rust''; this time the band revisited the more dooming sounds of ''Slow Deep & Hard'', where the band seemed to wallow in misery. This time around, instead of sex and romance, lyrics focused on Death , Drug Addiction , Depression , and Suicide . Songs such as “Everyone I Love is Dead,” “Everything Dies,” “World Coming Down,” and “All Hallows Eve” were not meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but rather true life reflections of the mindset Steele shared at the time. It was nowhere near as accessible as ''Bloody Kisses'' or ''October Rust'', but despite its morbid subject matter, ''World Coming Down'' debuted at #39 on the Billboard Top 200 charts.

A 'best of' album followed in 2000, entitled '' The Least Worst Of Type O Negative ''. Although most songs appear on previous albums, many are unreleased Remixes or B-sides on previously-released singles. Along with these songs are some unreleased numbers from the ''World Coming Down'' sessions, the band's cover of "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath , and a cleaner version of "Hey Pete" (originally released on the mock live album ''The Origin of the Feces''). .]]

Type O Negative released their sixth studio album, '' Life Is Killing Me '', in 2003. For this album, the band picked up the pace of their sound from the dirgeful slowness of ''World Coming Down''. Songs such as "Todd's Ship Gods," "(We Were) Electrocute", and "I Don't Wanna Be Me" convey the band's classic elements of epic song lengths and melody. A humorous cover of the song "Angry Inch" from the film '' Hedwig And The Angry Inch '', detailing a sex change operation gone terribly wrong, marks the band's return to its trademark humor that had been absent on their previous album.

After Roadrunner released the 2006 compilation '' inspired title track to the Blues Rock style "An Ode To Locksmiths". Female vocalist Tara Vanflower also appears on "Halloween In Heaven". The album debuted at #27 in the US; the band's highest chart debut to date. They also kicked off a summer-long tour that year which included a performance at the '' Rock Am Ring '' festival in Nürburgring, Germany {Link without Title} .


MEMBERS

  • Peter Steele – Lead vocals, bass guitar, guitar, and keyboards

  • Josh Silver – Keyboards, synth, effects, programming, backing vocals

  • Kenny Hickey – Lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals

  • Johnny Kelly – Drums, percussion, backing vocals



Former members



DISCOGRAPHY

''For a complete discography, see Type O Negative Discography .


TRIVIA



Names

  • The band's current name was chosen in part because all four original members had already tattooed a "Sub-zero" logo on their arm, which is an O with a negative symbol inside it.

  • The members have referred to themselves as "The Drab Four" in homage to The Beatles ' "Fab Four" Moniker . On the reverse side of one T-shirt, they referred to themselves as "The Rehab Four". Recently, on their MySpace page , they've simply called themselves "The 4 Dicks".

  • The album ''Life Is Killing Me'' was originally titled ''The Dream Is Dead'' after the name of the closing song. This led some fans to believe that the band was retiring or breaking up, which proved untrue.

  • An early working title for ''Bloody Kisses'' was ''Things Worse Than Death (And Other Acts of God)''.

  • Working titles for the album ''World Coming Down'' included ''Prophets Of Doom'' and ''Aggroculture''.

  • The song "The Profits of Doom" from ''Dead Again'' is often spelled "Profit of Doom" in various instances.



Behavior

  • Frontman Peter Steele has gained recognition for his unusual sense of humor, often discussing very dark subject matter in a humorous manner, as if unperturbed. On '' The Howard Stern Show '', he has casually professed having fantasies of Murder-suicide involving ex-girlfriends, as well as claiming Kurt Cobain was his "hero" for "having the balls to shoot himself" in the midst of his popularity and success {Link without Title} .

  • Steele, who is over 6'7", once had a signature action during a concert that included playing a stand-up bass while using a large chain instead of a normal guitar strap. This gimmick was mostly used on the ''Bloody Kisses'' tour (1993-95) and is visible in the "Black No.1" and "Cinnamon Girl" videos, but it has seldomly been used since then.

  • The band regularly uses (which would run EADGBE for guitars, EADG for bass). This enables the band to achieve a heavier sound.

  • Peter Steele has appeared naked in '' Playgirl ''. The band's bio states that the rest of the band "laugh themselves into pant-pissing seizures after Hickey [found out through his publishing world contacts that 23% of the magazine's subscribers are female". [http://web.archive.org/web/20030705153411/typeonegative.net/oldbio.html Steele was reportedly "very disheartened" when he found out about the magazine's demographics, and made light of the situation on the track 'I Like Goils' (''Life is Killing Me'') to underline his purely straight stance on his sexuality.



Soundtracks

  • The "Out of the Ashes" remix of "Blood and Fire" present on the '' Mortal Kombat '' movie soundtrack (1995) can also be found on the bonus CD of ''Life Is Killing Me''.

  • The computer game '''' contains a full-length version of the instrumental.

  • The soundtrack compilation for ''Duke Nukem: Music To Score By'' features "Cinnamon Girl (extended depression mix)".

  • The '' Blood '' computer game by Monolith Productions features the track "Love You to Death".

  • The song "Haunted" appears on '' The Blair Witch Project '' 'soundtrack' CD. The CD didn't feature music that was in the movie, but was supposed to contain music from a "tape that was found in the woods with the lost people's gear". The flaw with that plot point is that the film takes place in 1994, while "Haunted" wasn't released until 1996.

  • Their music can be found throughout ''Nosferatu: The First Vampire'', in an edition of the classic 1922 vampire movie. This version can be found on the ''Trio of Terror'' DVD.

  • The movie '' I Know What You Did Last Summer '' contained a re-recorded rendition of " Summer Breeze " by Seals And Crofts as the intro theme.

  • The song "Love you to Death", appeared in the soundtrack to the horror film '' Bride Of Chucky ''.

  • The 2003 film ''Freddy Vs. Jason'' contained the song ''(We Were) Electrocute'' from the album ''Life Is Killing Me''.

  • The "Out of the Fire" track that was a remix of "Out of the Ashes" & "Blood and Fire" that appeared on the ''Life is Killing Me'' bonus CD was a theme created for WWE Superstar Kane , but was never used. Instead Finger Eleven 's un-released track "Slow Chemical" was used for his return theme in 2002.

  • The 1997 soundtrack ''Private Parts: The Album'' contains a song titled " Pictures Of Matchstick Men ", with the band playing the music and Ozzy Osbourne on vocals.



Covers

  • A reworked rendition of "," If I Needed Someone " and " I Want You (She's So Heavy) "; Neil Young 's " Cinnamon Girl "; Seals And Crofts ' "Summer Breeze" (an unauthorized version of which, featuring modified lyrics by Peter Steele, is called "Summer Girl," and includes the TON-original outro "Set Me On Fire").

  • A medley of Santana's "Evil Ways", "Oye Como Va", and "Black Magic Woman" available on the CD accompanying their DVD ''Symphony for the Devil''. They also cover three Beatles songs in a medley on ''World Coming Down''. ''The Origin of the Feces'' concludes with the same chord and looped sound as the ending of ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''.

  • Other covers performed live include: The Doors ' " Light My Fire " (which Steele described as "probably the greatest song ever written" before apologizing for having "destroyed it" - true to TON's self-deprecating sense of humor); Black Sabbath 's "N.I.B.", The Beatles ´" Back In The USSR " and Magical Mystery Tour . While touring behind '' World Coming Down '', they also covered Creedence Clearwater Revival 's " Bad Moon Rising ."

  • Incorrectly attributed covers include: Marilyn Manson 's "Coma White"; Sarah McLachlan 's "Possession"; Nirvana 's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"; Astral Sleep's "Angel"; Rage's "Paint It Black" cover; and Britney Spears ' "Hit Me Baby One More Time". The mistaken version of "Possession" was actually a purposely TON-style recording made in 1996 by Dino Covelli's Mad Machinery as a school project which later began circulating the internet through Napster . One Nirvana 'cover' is the cover done by band The Wounded , who share strong similarities to TON, while another version is actually Nirvana jokingly playing in a Gothic Rock style from a Broadcast on the BBC TV show "Top of the Pops". Other cover songs appear to be faked by speeding up or slowing down the original artists' recordings.



Phlogiston Verdigris

An individual named Phlogiston Verdigris has been mentioned by the band in at least two different contexts. He is mentioned as the conductor of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra in the liner notes for '' Bloody Kisses '', and the quote, "Better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you are not" is attributed to him on the back of '' The Least Worst Of Type O Negative '' despite actually being a quote by Andre Gide . The name "Phlogiston Verdigris" could be interpreted as a stand-in for the two common colors in Type O Negative album covers and merchandise:

  • orange - Once the basis for a popular chemical theory, " Phlogiston " is defined by Wiktionary as "the hypothetical fiery principle formerly assumed to be a necessary constituent of combustible bodies and to be given up by them in burning". {Link without Title}


  • green - On the other hand, " Verdigris " is defined by Wiktionary as "a blue-green powder, copper acetate, that forms as a patina on copper, brass or bronze that has weathered; also used as a paint pigment" {Link without Title} . The chemical makeup of verdigris is (Cu(C2H3O2)2 . 2Cu(OH)2) Copper II acetate di-copper II hydroxide.



Bensonhoist Lesbian Choir

Also appearing on all albums, on backup vocals, is The Bensonhoist Lesbian Choir. In reality this is another liner note gimmick, as the "Choir" is actually just all of the other members of Type O Negative performing harmonized or synchronized backup vocals. "Bensonhoist" is the neighborhood of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn , rendered in the local New York Dialect .


EXTERNAL LINKS